1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sun visors for vehicles and, more particularly, to a sun visor having a claim-shell foundation and a skate member that defines at least a portion of an edge of the sun visor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over the past several decades, automobile designs have become safer in many respects, one of which relates to the interior compartment the driver and passengers occupy. Specifically, the design of dash boards, steering wheels, handles, control knobs and other interior components has become smoother and softer. Generally speaking, hard, protruding surfaces have been replaced with softer, rounded surfaces wherever possible. One interior component which has undergone such improvements is the sun visor.
One known sun visor design includes an outer cover assembly, which folds unto itself to define the shape of the sun visor assembly. The outer cover assembly is made of a cloth or vinyl upholstery covering, which is adhesively bonded to a semi-rigid foundation, typically formed of kraft paper. The upholstery cover is made larger than the foundation and thereby folds around the edges of the foundation. Thus, when the sun visor is folded in half, the outer edges of the cover assembly are sandwiched together and define the profile of the sun visor. A core member may be disposed between the foundation halves and connects to a rod, which in turn connects to the interior headliner of the vehicle.
A disadvantage associated with such known sun visor designs is that the two cover halves of the foldable foundation create an undesirable bifurcated edge when the halves are sandwiched together. This condition is unsatisfactory in vehicle applications that require contactable edges of a sun visor to exhibit a rounded edge. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved sun visor that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.